


Another Year Over

by justgingery



Category: Bleach
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hangovers are not fun, Hidden Feelings, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Rangiku gets Toshiro drunk, Subtle flirting, drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25254073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justgingery/pseuds/justgingery
Summary: 'No going back now.Without a second thought, Toshiro took the glass and did exactly what he was instructed to do like the soldier he was trained to be. Throwing his head back, he swallowed the small amount of liquid in one smooth gulp. It burned his throat and he grimaced. Despite the disgusting taste which lingered, he looked at his lieutenant with determination to show her he meant business.'Toshiro noticed Rangiku was acting a bit odd before her birthday, so offered to do the one thing he knew would cheer her up.
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Matsumoto Rangiku
Comments: 13
Kudos: 42





	Another Year Over

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is such an exciting experience for me. This is my first fic in about 8 years now! Used to write Bleach fanfics on FF.net back in the day but took a long break from it for personal reasons. Back at it again though! Hope you all enjoy!

Despite the icy exterior he gave off, Toshiro Hitsugaya was a very caring young man. Especially when it came to his division.

Many of the seated officers and other members of the 10th Division praised him for how he took note of the smaller details. Was anyone off sick that day? Was there any reason for a little extra praise? Any special events or birthdays? The prodigy remembered it all.

One day in particular had always stuck out. The one day of the year he would never actually see his lieutenant: September 29th. Her birthday. Not that Rangiku would ever let him forget, of course. In the weeks leading up to her birthday, she would constantly pester her captain about what present he would get her. Normally it was just some flowers or a cute accessory.

Although for reasons unknown to Toshiro, when her actual birthday came along, she was nowhere in sight.

Assuming she was spending the time with friends, Toshiro never really thought to ask what she was doing on those days off. Normal Rangiku things he guessed: avoid work, shop, get drunk, repeat. Returning to the office after those days off with her usual chipper attitude, she was ready to annoy him by pawning off her paperwork, instead napping on the couch for most of the day. It was a comfortable routine they had and one that had not changed the entire time they were captain and lieutenant.

It had become such a routine at this point, no approach was needed any more about wanting those days off, he just let her take them off. Of course, never wanting to be late or unorganised, Toshiro would wish her a happy birthday the day before and even let her finish early that day too. The soft spot he held for his lieutenant would show itself in small gestures like these, as he was never one to openly talk about his feelings.

With September approaching as it always did, the young captain found himself spending days struggling to decide on a gift. More generic ideas seemed meaningless - it just didn't sit well in his gut. Sighing into his paperwork he set his brush down, it was becoming too hard to concentrate. It was never this hard to think of gifts before? What was so different this year? Getting lost in his own thoughts for a while, he didn’t even notice someone else enter the office.

“-not like you, Shiro-chan.”

It wasn’t until a hand waved in front of his face that he drew himself away from his thoughts. Looking up to see his close friend leaning over the desk with her arm stretched out, a smirk on her face.

“I said spacing out is not like you,” Momo leaned over again to poke him on the forehead. “What’s wrong?”

Toshiro groaned and rubbed the spot where she had poked him. “You know you should knock before you enter a captain's office, right?”

“I did try knocking but you clearly didn’t hear me! Plus, we’re friends, so it’s okay. Now, what’s wrong?” She huffed, crossing her arms in front of her.

Toshiro contemplated for a moment if he should open up to her or just brush her off. He didn’t want Rangiku finding out about his struggles, telling another person risked it becoming gossip. He could trust Momo though and she could also potentially help him with his gift problem. Momo knew Rangiku too, after all. His childhood friend and lieutenant would often hang out, especially at those darned SWA meetings.

Deciding that enough was enough, Toshiro pushed himself from the desk. This silly gift dilemma had occupied his mind for too long now. “Let’s go for a walk, I need to get out of this office for a while.”

Momo smiled back at him, obediently following him out of the office and into the 10th division courtyard. It was large in size but very well kept. They passed a few officers tending to the flower garden that stopped to bow to Toshiro, who gave them a simple nod back.

Running ahead slightly, Momo reached a small pond and knelt to admire it. “Hey, Shiro-chan! This looks similar to the pond back in Junrinan!”

“It’s Captain Hitsugaya,” he corrected her. “Especially when you’re in the 10th division grounds.”

Momo never did get out of the nickname habit, it seemed it had only gotten worse during her recovery. Looking up from the pond suddenly, she took a couple of seconds to observe her surroundings. “Where’s Rangiku-san today? I’ve not seen her since I got here.”

“She’s in the training grounds with some of the newer recruits,” Toshiro casually pointed over his shoulder. Momo was clearly trying to make small talk until he spoke up about his problem, unaware she just gave him the perfect topic to talk about his lieutenant. “It’s her birthday in a couple of days”

“Oh, so it is!” Momo clapped her hands together. “I need to finish making her gift!”

Of course Momo had made her something. Momo was always the creative kind.

“Um…” Toshiro awkwardly started, rubbing his neck. “I actually haven’t got her anything yet. I can’t think of what to get her this year”

“Oh?” She questioned, “Is that what had you distracted when I came in?”

“Yeah.” Toshiro inwardly cringed at how childish this all sounded. Getting someone a gift shouldn’t have been such a big deal. It was never that big a deal before.

Momo looked over with sad eyes. “It’s understandable to have trouble thinking of what to get her. We’ve all been too busy with the repairs and recovery from the war.”

Noticing her flinch slightly, Toshiro’s brow furrowed. The aftermath of this war was brutal for everyone. Soul Society was safe now but the physical and psychological effects of the war would continue to haunt them for years to come.

“I can’t imagine what she is going through,” Momo continued, “Losing Captain Ichimaru, her closest friend. That- That would be like if I lost you, Shiro-chan. She must be in so much pain.”

Toshiro’s frown deepened. He must admit, Rangiku did seem to go back to her usual self quite quickly after the war. Too quickly. Being very observant and quite close to her, Toshiro knew she wasn’t okay deep down inside. It wasn’t obvious, but her mannerisms had become less exaggerated, often lifeless. The sake bottles that were ‘hidden’ in his desk would be replaced often, suggesting she was drinking them quicker and more frequently. Practically no shopping trips anymore. She wasn’t the same bubbly and carefree woman she used to be.

Toshiro hated seeing his lieutenant like this. Mourning the loss of a man whose intentions were unclear, which probably made it all the worse for her. Not even knowing why he took the actions he did, why he sided with Aizen.

The young captain was thankful at least Momo came to her senses and realised Aizen’s ill intentions.

“She’s a lot more reserved than usual,” Toshiro stated, “She’s not been her usual self ever since the war. I’ve been looking out for her the best I can but there’s only so much I can do when she doesn’t tell me what’s on her mind.”

Momo got up from her crouching position to face her friend, who still stood that little bit shorter than her, “Sometimes it’s not a matter of knowing exactly what is wrong but just being a shoulder to cry on. I don’t know Rangiku-san as well as you do, you spend a lot more time with her than I do. She might not want to talk about it. That’s how I felt after Captain Aizen left. I woke up to find you had been sent on a mission to the living world and I felt alone and scared-”

Toshiro listened to her closely, beginning to feel slightly uneasy at her words. Momo still called that bastard ‘Captain’. It also wasn’t exactly Toshiro’s own choice to leave her at that moment too. Toshiro was a captain who was completing a mission sent to him by the Captain Commander. He really had no option but to leave.

“-and all I wanted to do was cry. I couldn’t really talk about my feelings because I didn’t know how to put them into words. Whenever I did go to talk about them, I just… cried”

Momo trailed off, clearly getting uncomfortable at the conversation. Deciding to go back to the original topic she asked. “What does she normally do for her birthday?”

“I don’t know,” Toshiro replied. “She doesn’t come in to work those days. I always assumed she was off drinking or shopping. I normally leave her present on our desk before she disappears. Not even Captain Shiba knew either.”

“Why not find out what she does on her days off then? Maybe you can contribute to whatever fun she has on those days.”

Realising he had never thought of that before, it seemed like a pretty decent idea. Better than all the ones he had so far, anyway.

“Thanks, Hinamori. Forgive me, I distracted you with this childish gift nonsense. What were you here for?” Toshiro asked.

“I just wanted to visit, that’s all. I’m glad I could help,” She smiled softly at him, “I should get going now, can’t leave the 5th division for too long.”

Saying her goodbyes, Toshiro was soon left in the courtyard staring back at the pond. Hinamori had given him a lot to think about.

* * *

Toshiro felt another headache come on. Today was one of those days where it was just signature after signature, report after report. A lot of property had been damaged in the war; his division was not being shy of needing repairs. Documents and updates of these repairs kept flooding in, along with the labour and costs that came with them. It was exhausting work, but the young captain kept pushing through with the knowledge that the more reports he had to sign, the harder his officers must have been working to speed up the healing process.

Glancing over to the couch, Toshiro noticed a distinct lack of work going on. There lay his lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, lazy as ever with a magazine in her hand and a pile of paperwork discarded on the coffee table.

“Matsumoto, you realise those reports aren’t going to do themselves, right?” He questioned the blonde.

Rangiku sat upright quite abruptly after his words, “Captain! This is the Seireitei magazine I’m reading. I’m keeping up with what’s going on in the Seireitei! That’s important work, is it not?”

“Oh really?” Toshiro put on his best sarcastic tone, “Then please, do continue. I’ll get all the paperwork from here.”

“Really? Captain, you’re the best!” Rangiku grabbed the paperwork, leaning over the back of the couch to pass it to the younger shinigami. Whenever she did this, her chest would spill out of her shihakusho more than she already did. Toshiro had trained himself to ignore it over the years; she had already gotten enough grief about her chest from their previous captain. He would never deny that his lieutenant was beautiful and very well endowed but never wanted to make her feel uncomfortable with any staring.

Toshiro rolled his eyes at her. “It’s one small stack of paperwork, just get it done.”

“You’re no fun.” Rangiku pouted in response, flipping herself back over. She chose to go back to her magazine to read one last page when she came across the horoscopes. “Hey Captain, want to know your horoscope? Your birthday is December 20th, yeah?”

“If I say yes, will you put it down and go back to your work?” The captain couldn’t hide the annoyance in his voice. He had learned the hard way that indulging Rangiku in these irrelevant topics would sometimes get them over with quicker. No use in fighting her, she’d only fight back harder. Toshiro admired this specific trait of hers on the battlefield… only on the battlefield.

Her eyes lit up at his question. “Sure! Okay so it says here that ‘People around you might have been expecting a bit more cooperation on your part. You could be nicer and more concerned about their needs. It seems that you've been ill-tempered recently. You like acting this way occasionally. Sometimes you act like a child who wants to play more. If you indulge this urge to play more often, you'll be able to be more loving toward your entourage.’ Woah, That’s scarily accurate, Captain!”

“Matsumoto!” Toshiro raised his voice slightly. These silly human world superstitions had no place in his office, especially the ones that called him childish. He had already felt childish enough this week after all his worrying about a present for the woman he was now incredibly annoyed at.

That’s when a sudden realisation hit him. This was maybe an opportunity. Horoscopes were based on birthdays: the exact thing causing him grief the past few days. Maybe he could use the fact they were already talking about birthdays to his advantage. After all, he hadn’t come up with any other ideas even after the conversation with Momo. So much for him being a child prodigy.

Toshiro hesitated for a second, debating on how to start the conversation again. “I don’t see how someone’s birthday can affect their personality. That’s not what birthdays are for.”

“It’s a fun way to pass time, relax!” Rangiku waved her hand dismissively.

Sighing heavily, Toshiro tried to reply. “I’ll relax when you get back to w-”

“My horoscope better be good!” she interrupted. “‘Today, Libra, you'll undoubtedly ask yourself a lot of questions. You're usually an energetic person, but with the current astral energy at play, you may feel lonely and doubtful of your abilities. Take time today to analyse your commitments to others.’”

An uncomfortable aura washed over the room as Rangiku’s spiritual power flickered slightly. Clearly something in her horoscope had triggered an unwanted emotion in the normally perky woman. Toshiro paused to focus his energy on her, sensing the subtle change. It was these kinds of awkward silences that happened more frequently since the war. It broke Toshiro’s heart whenever it happened, and this time to be triggered by some trend that was so mundane and useless?

“See? These things are just clearly just childish games.” Toshiro stated, trying to make her feel better. Despite not yet having the answers he wanted, he decided it would be best not to push the topic further as something had clearly made her uncomfortable.

“You’re right, I guess.” Rangiku’s tone was dull. She set the magazine down on the table to pick up the paperwork, which she started sluggishly flicking through. Toshiro stared at the back of her head, as if trying to see into her thoughts. The woman had clearly not been expecting a negative horoscope, nor appreciated it. What could he do to help though when she wouldn’t say what was wrong? Whenever anything like this happened since the war, since Gin’s passing, she would just retreat.

Thinking back to what Momo said, about how sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on, Toshiro stepped out of his comfort zone with his next words. He truly did hate seeing his lieutenant like this and that horoscope had not only crossed a line with her, but also with him. Rangiku Matsumoto was one of the strongest - if not the strongest - woman he knew! Before the loss of Gin, Rangiku would rarely let her negative emotions control her like they did now. The level of maturity she had in regard to controlling her emotions was admirable, especially as a soldier and lieutenant of the Gotei 13.

Loss of this severity was something Toshiro had thankfully never experienced, so he didn’t even know if his words were going to convey what they intended, or even if they were the right words to say but he had to be brave for her. The useless horoscope has literally called Rangiku out on her loneliness, he had to reassure her that that wasn’t the case. She was never alone so long as he was around. Getting up from his desk, he approached the couch and leant against the arm.

Rangiku's head was still bowed low into the paperwork, whatever expression she wore was hidden behind locks of her blonde hair. Hidden from the world. Hidden from him.

“Matsumoto. I know things have been… tough, lately. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through right now.” Toshiro was focusing on her spiritual pressure as he spoke, observing any spikes in it. The last thing he wanted to do was overstep a boundary. “The 10th division, all of us here, we care for you. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

There were no changes in her posture or face as he spoke, completely emotionless. Nothing to indicate she was feeling uncomfortable although no confirmation she acknowledged his words. Rangiku was completely closed off right now and that only made the knot in his stomach tighten.

After what felt like a decade for the young captain, he saw Rangiku flinch slightly, a barely audible sigh escaping her lips.

“Thank you, Captain.” Rangiku’s voice quivered from behind her hair. “You normally let me leave early today. Can I finish now?”

Toshiro’s mouth fell open slightly. He didn’t know what response he was expecting but he was not ready for that. Feeling his heart fall to his stomach, guilt washed over him. He had overstepped a boundary by saying this after all. He must have, judging by that response.

Not wanting to make the situation any worse, Toshiro respected her wishes and let her finish early for the day, there and then. Rangiku rushed out of the room, her expression still hidden. Deflating onto the couch where his lieutenant once sat, he was at a loss for words.

_Good going, genius._

* * *

Fiddling was something Toshiro only did when he was nervous, which was rare these days. Yet, he found himself playing with his sleeve as he waited at the door for a response.

The rest of the workday went horrible for him after Rangiku left. He couldn’t wash away the feelings of guilt at hurting his lieutenant’s feelings, meaning very little paperwork was done. He focused his negative energy in training himself, visiting the Zanjutsu training ground and sparring his way out of his frustrations. It didn’t work. The young captain’s mind was still riddled with negative thoughts and now he was sweaty and physically drained to top it all off.

It wasn’t until he got home and found himself fiddling with his dinner that he decided enough was enough. Toshiro was taught by his grandmother to never play with his food. It was a childish trait.

The only way he’d get peace of mind was to approach Rangiku and apologise.

For the entire walk to her home, Toshiro’s thoughts suffocated him. What if she didn’t even want to see him? He overstepped a boundary. She probably wants space to be away from him now. If she didn’t answer he’d simply go home and wait until she was next in work. Or should he just do that anyway?

Hyorinmaru roared at the back of his mind. Suffocating thoughts like these would also drown one’s Zanpakuto, since they lived in the mind. Despite it being only noise that the ice dragon made, Toshiro understood his intentions. Hyorinmaru was trying to ground Toshiro, slow his thoughts down and bring him back to a point where he could think rationally.

That’s when the boy arrived at Rangiku’s door.

Initially there was no response. Toshiro knocked on the door a second time, for good measure.

No sign of life at all. Rangiku must have been out. Taking that as a sign, Toshiro sighed deeply and turned on his heels. Guess this would have to wait until she was back.

It was at that moment he heard a small sob come from nearby. A sob he unfortunately recognised.

Rangiku Matsumoto didn’t cry often, in fact the only times Toshiro had seen her cry was after the departure of Isshin Shiba and the death of Gin Ichimaru. Something must have been wrong if she was upset enough to cry. She didn’t even cry when she was in pain. The sound of Rangiku crying felt like a massive punch to his gut. Jidanbo standing on him would have hurt less.

Mustering up all the courage he had alongside a supportive roar from his inner dragon, Toshiro knocked again. “Matsumoto?”

No response again. All he heard was a small hiccup from the woman. Unsure of how to continue, the white-haired boy stood awkwardly at the entrance. Just as he was about to turn away for the second time, a deep sigh rang in his ears followed by another hiccup.

“It wasn’t you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Following the sound of her voice, Toshiro realised she wasn’t even inside her living quarters. Timidly stepping to the side of her house, he made his way to a small clearing by the back garden.

The captain of the 10th division could have never prepared himself for the sight he came across.

Sitting on her porch, Rangiku’s back was against a pillar. Knees pulled up to her chest in a defensive manner, she clutched a sake bottle in one hand and the other was tangled into her golden mane. Head bowed low, he couldn’t even see her expression at first but she lifted it to meet his gaze.

Red puffy eyes met his teal ones. He could smell the sake off her even from a good distance away. She had been here a while by the looks of it.

Toshiro had never felt so defeated in his life. His attitude came across cold sometimes but Toshiro did his best to be there for his division. He cared deeply for everyone that worked for him. Other captains praised him for the relationship he had with his soldiers. Ukitake had even specifically praised the relationship he had with Rangiku. While having complete opposite work ethics they got along like a house on fire and had an unbreakable bond.

Toshiro opened up to Ukitake that day, explaining that he owed the woman a lot. If she hadn’t found him that fateful day in Junrinan, Granny could have been hurt. He would have never learned to control Hyorinmaru. Becoming 3rd seat, he found a purpose in life. Without the support and encouragement from the busty woman, he never would have become captain. Tensions were high in the division once Captain Shiba left but the two powered through, determined for the 10th to come out stronger. Part of the improvement plan Rangiku had written up as a result of Shiba’s defection was Toshiro becoming captain. No one else fit the role in her eyes.

Rangiku always pushed him to move forward. Strived him to be a better man with each passing day.

Yet, here she was in tears because of him.

He let her down. Causing her pain when his words were meant to be comforting. This was exactly why he didn’t show emotions often.

“You’re normally quite good at hiding your emotions, Captain. I told you-” Rangiku hiccupped in between words. “-it wasn’t you.”

Toshiro knew he was frowning but he couldn’t bring himself to hide it like he usually did. He couldn’t even find any words at first. The normally stoic boy let all his defences down. Physically shaking his head as if ridding himself of the negative thought spiralling, he continued to take slow and timid steps towards her and sat down on the porch a few feet from her.

“Matsumoto, I-” He started, hesitating slightly. “I’m sorry.”

Rangiku brought her legs down and took a large sip from her sake bottle. “Don’t be. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I overstepped a boundary in the office with what I said. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

The words clearly took her by surprise as she blinked dumbly at her captain. “Oh, that? I’m the one who should be apologising, Captain! I was really moved by your words, it means a lot to me to know you’re there to support me! I just didn’t know how to respond, so I left before I said something I regret.”

His lieutenant gave him a gentle smile. Toshiro couldn’t help but think how wrong it looked. Such a sweet smile on her face contradicting her sad and tired eyes.

Gazing out towards the clearing, Rangiku spoke softly about her troubles. He listened to her intensely, not once taking eyes off her. Giving her the time and space she needed to talk.

He didn’t believe her at first when she said ‘it wasn’t you’. To be honest, the anxious kid at the back of his mind still thought she was lying to make him feel better. His own anxieties weren’t what was important at this current moment though, so he pushed them aside. As she explained, he began to understand what she meant. It wasn’t Toshiro.

It was Gin.

Rangiku explained the significance of her birthday: it was not a celebration of the day she was born, it’s the anniversary of when she met Gin Ichimaru. She explained how she never counted days until she encountered Gin in Rukongai so he suggested the day they met become her new birthday. Today was a harsh reminder that he was gone. Rangiku explained to Toshiro that she and Gin would normally spend the day together. They would drink and play games.

Once Rangiku’s explanation had come to an end, she ushered Toshiro to follow her into her quarters. Quietly trailing behind, Toshiro took off Hyorinmaru and placed the sword to the side next to where he saw Haineko. Rangiku slouched into the kitchen presumably to get another bottle of sake. He noticed the place wasn’t as lively as it used to be, none of her usual magazines or clothes lying about. Completely clean, aside from a few empty bottles lying about.

He was totally unsure of what to do or say in this situation, when Momo’s words came flooding back to him: “What does she normally do for her birthday?”

When Rangiku made her way back into the main room, an idea sprung to his mind. A risky one, especially for himself, but it was worth a shot. Toshiro was apparently taking a lot of risks today, why not add another one to the list.

“Where’s my bottle?” He quizzed her.

Rangiku paused, eyes glancing back and forward between the sake bottle currently in her hands and her captain. Opening her mouth to speak, no words came out. Toshiro had left her totally astonished. Even Toshiro himself was taken aback by his own actions too but he was determined to make it up to his lieutenant in one way or another.

The years of her trying to get him to drink with her were finally over. One of Rangiku’s favourite pastimes was having a casual drink. If drinking with Gin was the tradition she took part in on her birthday, then Toshiro vowed he would replace that with getting drunk with him.

Toshiro had no idea what effect alcohol had on him. He had only drunk it once before and not even enough to get him drunk. It had simply been one cup of sake to celebrate his graduation with his classmates.

“Captain you don’t drink. Even if you did, don’t you have to be in the office tomorrow?” Rangiku questioned him.

“Only for a couple of hours.” Toshiro explained. “I can afford to be a little drowsy, it's never stopped you before. Now, where’s my bottle? If getting drunk with Ichimaru is normally what you do today, you’re doing it with me now.”

It took Rangiku a few more seconds to register what her captain was saying. As soon as the realisation hit her, Rangiku’s face lit up and she practically sprinted back into her kitchen, returning with two glasses which signified to her smaller friend they were just sharing the one bottle for now. She carefully poured out one very small measure and handed it to her captain.

“It’s a shot. I’ve already drank a lot more than you, so you need to catch up. Swallow it in one go.” Rangiku handed him the glass. It was clear to Toshiro that this was a test of his resolve.

No going back now.

Without even a second thought, Toshiro took the glass and did exactly what he was instructed to do like the soldier he was trained to be. Throwing his head back, he swallowed the small amount of liquid in one smooth gulp. It burned his throat and he grimaced. Despite the disgusting taste which lingered, he looked at her with determination to show her he meant business.

“Wow. I wasn’t really expecting you to do that. You’re being serious.” Rangiku was clearly baffled.

“Of course I am,” Toshiro coughed, “Now pour me an actual drink.”

As the pair settled down in Rangiku’s living space for the night, Rangiku started to gossip about the happenings of Soul Society and even the living world. They sat cross legged under her low coffee table, drinks now between them. Apparently, something was going on between Ichigo, the substitute soul reaper, and his fellow ginger haired friend Orihime. To his surprise, Rangiku listed a few of the division members she knew had a crush on him.

As the two friends spoke, Toshiro found that with every drink his vision increasingly blurred and his senses dwindled. Everything they were talking about somehow became funnier, especially when they started reminiscing on a few pranks they would play on their old captain. He hadn’t even noticed they were onto their second bottle now.

“Oh! Remember that time you ate some of Captain Shiba’s manju! He was so pissed!” Rangiku was very animated as she spoke, singing her words.

Toshiro gulped down the rest of his drink before chuckling. “Which time? I did it frequently. I had to eat something while you two were lazing about!”

Rangiku laughed alongside him as they continued to reminisce. This was the first time Toshiro had seen her genuinely smile in a long time, a fact that brought him an intense amount of joy and pride.

When it came time for their third bottle, Rangiku stated she had something different for him to try as she skipped back into the kitchen. Toshiro took this time to take note of the effect getting drunk was having on his body. It felt warm, which was very uncommon for him. He didn’t particularly like the feeling, but it was manageable. Then came the blush. He felt a permanent heat on his cheeks and could tell they were deep pink. Movements were growing more sluggish by the minute so the young captain prayed to himself there would be nothing that required his fighting ability tonight. He wasn’t even sure he could hold Hyorinmaru right now, let alone coordinate himself to fight.

Rangiku came bounding back into the room with a new colourful bottle in her hands. “I got this from the living world from Yoruichi! It’s called ‘vodka’. It’s nice if you mix it with some juice.”

As she poured them some of the vodka, which she mixed with orange juice, Toshiro’s brain suddenly brought up a wild memory.

“Did I ever tell you about the aftermath of your visit to the academy?” Toshiro asked.

“No?!” Rangiku slammed the bottle back down.

Toshiro couldn’t help himself now. The captain burst into uncontrollable laughter. This was the most he had laughed in, well... ever. No wonder Rangiku enjoyed drinking so much. Every ounce of anxiety and tension he had before was quickly replaced with a feeling of weightlessness. Unable to control his laughter, he had to rest a hand on his stomach and felt himself fall backwards onto the floor.

“Captain!” Rangiku exclaimed for the millionth time today. She crawled over to him as he continued his laughing fit. Lifting him back up by the shoulders she attempted to shake him out his laughter. “You can’t start a story like that then laugh that hard! Now I need to know what happened!”

Toshiro eventually continued once he was able to breathe again. “So, when I was in the academy and you did the usual yearly visit, you recognised me and almost tackled me into the ground with a hug, remember?”

Her arms still on his shoulders, Rangiku simply nodded. Every year the lieutenant of each division would go speak to the students who were just about to graduate the Shin’o Academy to scope out any new recruits. This event had taken place the year Toshiro joined the academy. The two had bumped into each other as Rangiku wandered the school grounds looking for the graduating students. Spotting the little brat she had once convinced to join the academy, Rangiku launched herself towards him and pulled him in for a hug in front of a lot of other students. Of course, their height difference back then made it very awkward for Toshiro as he just got a face full of her chest. It wasn’t so bad now as he grew a few centimetres taller, meaning it was slightly higher up her cleavage he’d be enveloped by whenever she hugged him.

“Well, after that, rumours started spreading about some secret life I had. Imagine me, Toshiro Hitsugaya, the small white-haired kid with a cold personality knowing not only a lieutenant, but the most good-looking woman in Soul Society. The other students started asking me for tips on how to speak to girls and constantly questioned me how I knew you and if I could set you up with them.” His words were out before he had a chance to think about them. Glad the alcohol was giving his cheeks a natural blush anyway, the embarrassment on his face was less obvious. Toshiro had essentially just admitted to Rangiku - to her face - that he thought she was the most attractive woman he knew.

“AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?! Think of all the dates I could have gone on!” Rangiku began to shake him again, which prompted him to start laughing again. Toshiro was grateful she didn’t truly acknowledge the other part of that story. Or, if she did, she didn’t mention it.

Rangiku continued to tell him a few stories of some of the most unsuccessful dates she had ever been on. “One guy even took me to his parents place for dinner. Sorry, who does that?! Meeting the parents is not something you do for a first date! This is a better date than that!”

Toshiro was not sure he could hide the blush this time. He had to do something to distract himself from the topic of romance and those kinds of feelings - especially while drunk. He was not ready to have that conversation with himself yet, let alone with the woman he found himself questioning his feelings towards.

“Let’s play a game.” Toshiro uncharacteristically suggested, desperate for a way to change the topic.

Rangiku took the bait and immediately ran up to her bookshelf to grab a small ornament. When she returned, she made sure to sit opposite him at the coffee table, face to face. Slamming the small ornament down, Toshiro could now see it was a smaller sake cup. “Konpira Fune Fune!”

“The Geisha game?”

“Precisely,” Rangiku sang, “You know the rules?”

Toshiro suddenly felt the competitive side of him take control. Nobody beat Toshiro Hitsugaya at games. To this day he is still the reigning champion of spinning tops in Junrinan. “I don’t. Teach me.”

He knew the rules. Toshiro just wanted to hear her speak more.

“Well, this cup is placed between us and we take turns tapping it with a flat hand in a rhythm. If I pick it up, you have to tap with your knuckles instead. If you get it wrong, you drink. We’re trying to catch each other out.” Rangiku winked at him.

Something stirred in his stomach as she spoke. His excitement levels rose dramatically as his competitive side came out. There were many different factors contributing to his new motivation: the alcohol, the thrill of seeing her happy again, the excitement of a challenge, the slight arousal at the way she winked.

Woah what. Toshiro pushed that thought to the back of his mind.

“Let’s go, Toshiro.” Rangiku started the first round, which only lasted a short minute before Toshiro lost. She had a lot more experience with alcohol so was holding it better than him, this game was making that obvious to him.

Taking a quick swig of his drink, Toshiro gently slapped the sides of his faces in an attempt to bring back his senses. They began another round, this time Rangiku losing. They continued this game for a while, both losing focus and laughing too much to finish some rounds.

It was after the 8th round when Rangiku suddenly brought her hand down on top of her Captains. It startled Toshiro, who initially tried to escape her clutch. She held on tight though as he took a mental note of how soft her skin was even though there were small beads of sweat on her palm from the game.

“Let’s find something else to play!” the older woman suggested.

Feeling gallous, Toshiro leaned forward, narrowing his eyes in a playful manner. “Oh, upset that you’re losing?”

Rangiku lifted herself up to place the sake cup they were using back on her bookshelf. As she stopped, she twisted the upper half of her body to face him and winked again. “Nah, I just like playing games with you.”

Tonight was shaping up to be a very interesting one.

* * *

Water.

All he wanted right now was water.

Dehydration woke the young Captain, his first instinct to be to get up and quench the thirst. His body clearly had other plans for him though as when his eyes opened, they were immediately flung shut again. The urge to vomit hit him as the room started spinning. Rolling over onto his back, that’s when Toshiro finally noticed he wasn’t in his own bed. He was on a couch and he prayed to the Soul King that it was either his own or someone he knew.

Memories of last night with his lieutenant came flooding back. Toshiro had gotten drunk for the first time in his life. Piecing together last night, Toshiro realised he never actually went back home, it must have been Rangiku’s couch he was on. Focusing what little energy he had, Toshiro located her spiritual pressure in the kitchen, only a wall separating them.

Laying there trying to will his eyes to open again, Toshiro couldn’t help but wonder why someone would ever willingly put themselves through this. Is this what a hangover was? He felt disgusting. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep it off… and eat. Eat and sleep. If only he could do both at the same time.

No wonder Rangiku was late so often and unmotivated to do her work.

Just as his eyes flickered open, a harsh ringing was sent through his ears. Rangiku had burst through into the living room like nothing was an issue. To Toshiro and his heightened senses though, the banging of the door and the soft hum in her voice was deafening. He managed to stifle out a groan as he heard footsteps (as loud as Jibando’s he might add) approach him.

He looked up at her through his eyelashes, just barely making out her silhouette.

“Aww, someone hungover?” Rangiku teased. She couldn’t help but smile at the current situation. Rangiku had finally got Toshiro Hitsugaya, the icy cold captain who didn’t know how to have fun, to loosen up a little… well, a lot. He had danced and played games with her last night! If only she had a camera.

Toshiro, fed up with the day already, threw an arm over his face. “I’m never drinking again.” His voice croaked as words came out. Clearly the woman towering over him at the moment found it hilarious as she gave out a hearty chuckle. At least someone got pleasure out of the state he was in.

“That’s what they all say.” Rangiku reached down and removed his arm from his face, placing two pills in his hand.

“What’s this?” Toshiro asked.

“A hangover cure from the living world. Tablets with caffeine and painkillers to help the headache. Trust me, they work a treat.”

Finally opening his eyes fully, Toshiro saw she was also holding out a glass of water for him. The overwhelming urge to swallow the entire glass in one gulp was tempting but he knew that would just make him sick. Somehow mustering the energy to sit up, he sluggishly took the pills, almost gagging in the process.

“You’re a good singer, Captain, you know that?” Rangiku had an evil smirk on as she sat down next to him.

Wait… he sang? He doesn’t remember that!

Toshiro was wracking his brain for any memory of singing last night. What did he sing? Why did he sing?! How much had he actually forgotten? Did he embarrass himself? Clearly not too much if Rangiku could still bear to be around him. Redness crept onto his face as he thought. Beside him, his lieutenant was in stitches with laughter.

“Shut up,” Toshiro complained, “Why did I sing?”

Rangiku couldn’t get a word out for how much she was laughing, even beginning to tear up slightly. Whenever she would calm down enough to take a couple of breaths, a new memory popped into her head and she burst into a fit of laughter again. Toshiro endured it for only a few minutes before he decided he had had enough embarrassment for one day. Leaning to get up and escape this situation he suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist.

“C-Captain, wait, I’m- I’m sorry.” she managed to squeeze out. Taking a deep breath, Rangiku pulled him back. “I’m not laughing at you; I also did some pretty embarrassing stuff last night so we’re even! It’s what happens when you get drunk.”

Toshiro felt himself relax slightly at her reassuring words. Her hand was still attached to his wrist and he noted how incredibly warm and comforting it felt. He was never one for physical contact even though it was an occasional craving. His icy spiritual pressure leaked out through his skin, making him freezing cold to touch. Only fire type users like Rangiku and Momo had ever been able to endure touching him without getting shivers since they were already warm enough. That was yet another way they complimented each other so well.

“You sang happy birthday to me, that’s all.” Rangiku confessed.

Toshiro huffed and relaxed back on the couch again. A comfortable silence fell in the room. Silences like this were not uncommon for the pair, they had many similar moments in work as they shared an office. Toshiro wouldn’t lie to himself, there were sometimes he wished he had his own office. The sound of Rangiku snoring on the couch would sometimes irritate him yet on her days off he found himself longing to be in her presence. Something about the older woman comforted him greatly and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Well, he probably could put his finger on it if he thought about it. He avoided it at all costs though. He didn’t want anything to change between them, this relationship was too valuable to him both personally and professionally for him to ruin it with some fleeting feelings.

But at this moment he couldn’t help but let himself indulge. Rangiku’s hand was still on his wrist, her thumb rubbing him up and down. Toshiro did his best to focus all his energy on keeping his eyes ahead. He knew if he dared to make eye contact with her at this moment it would be all over for him. After all, the physical contact alone was pushing his emotions over the edge. Gosh damn hormones.

When Rangiku eventually removed her hand, he felt himself pout on the inside. The young captain was not prepared for what came next. Rangiku stretched and yawned the promptly flopped her head onto her captain’s shoulder

“I feel like a nap, I’m so tired.” Rangiku innocently whined.

If Toshiro was to be honest with himself, it felt like his heart was going to explode out his chest.

He was accustomed to her being close. The playful little hugs she gave him happened quite frequently. Toshiro was used to brushing those off, using excuses like ‘it’s unprofessional’ or just simply ‘get back to work.’ None of those excuses worked in this situation. Hell, he didn’t want to use any excuse. She could lie there all day if he let her.

Finding his resolve breaking for a moment, Toshiro leaned into her. Resting his cheek into her hair, he breathed in her scent. Rangiku always smelt of daffodils, fitting since it was their division's insignia. The smell was almost overwhelming as he found himself closing his eyes to focus on it, blocking his other senses from interrupting this moment.

One by one, other senses began to fail him.

 _What on earth are you doing, Toshiro Hitsugaya..._ He scolded himself before he let himself succumb to another round of sleep.

* * *

When Toshiro woke up this time, the daffodil scent was now mixed with peppermint tea - his favourite. Taking a deep breath in through his nose, he couldn’t help but smile contently. He noted a familiar warmth on his forehead, the feeling of familiar soft skin on his own.

“Aww, you’re so cute when you smile, Captain.”

Eyes shot open to find his lieutenant face above him. Sensory overload hit him when he realised the position he was in: his head was currently on Rangiku’s lap, with her hand gently rested on his forehead. Unable to hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks, he quickly attempted to sit up in order to hide his face.

Toshiro learned in that moment that trying to sit up that quickly while still half asleep and nursing a hangover was not a good idea. Suddenly feeling something hard under him, the young captain had fallen off the couch and crashed to the floor.

“Captain!” Rangiku exclaimed, kneeling to help him up.

Toshiro groaned, accepting her assistance as they propped themselves back onto Rangiku’s couch. Holding a red face in his hands and refusing to make eye contact, he groaned.

“Did I fall asleep again?” Toshiro questioned her.

Rangiku smiled politely in response. “You did, I just let you sleep. You clearly needed it.” That’s when he felt the woman lean forward to pour him some tea. “I also made us tea. Peppermint, you’re favourite!”

Toshiro took the cup from her and drew out a long sip. How had she made the tea when he was on her lap? The thought that Rangiku had specifically placed his sleeping head on her lap made his thoughts spiral out of control.

“Soooooo,” Rangiku sang, “What are we doing for my birthday now you’re finally awake?”

“We can do whatever you want, it’s your day.” Toshiro casually responded without thinking.

He found himself almost immediately regretting his words as an evil smirk graced her lips. He’s just given her all the power in the world to make him do whatever.

“Let’s go shopping in the living world!” Rangiku excitedly clapped her hands together.

Groaning for the second time in so many minutes, Toshiro had no choice but to agree. Normally trips to the human world needed permission from the Captain of whatever division the person making the request was in. She knew inviting him along would only speed up the process of her getting there. In fact, every time she mentioned shopping in the living world, she invited him along. The offer was always declined. Toshiro couldn’t exactly get out of it this time though.

The pair agreed to meet up in approximately 3 hours, much to Rangiku’s annoyance. At the end of the day, Toshiro was a Captain of the Gotei 13 first and foremost and he had a little bit of work to do that day. Quickly returning home for a shower and some fresh clothes first, he packed any other necessities he would need for the trip today.

On the way to his office, he passed two of his officers: Ai Takasaki his 15th Seat and Setsuna Uehara his 17th Seat. The two girls were chilling out in the courtyard when they spotted him and gave him a bow.

“Good afternoon, Captain.” They greeted him in unison.

Toshiro gave them a small smile in response. Noting the picnic they had set up for themselves, he raised an eyebrow. He had noticed a while back the two girls were close and often joined Rangiku for lunch breaks. They never normally indulged in traditions like this so something must have been special about today.

Understanding his curiosity, Ai explained the situation. “Oh, we’re having a picnic for our lunch today, Captain! Setsuna here- well I’ll let you tell her.” Ai nudged her friend, encouraging her to speak up.

“Ah well…” Setsuna started, awkwardly rubbing her arms together. “As you probably know, I’ve been dating Eiji from the 13th Division for a few years now. He asked me to marry him last night!”

Toshiro felt his smile grow. It warmed his heart to see members of his team grow and flourish in both their professional and personal lives, situations like this especially. “Congratulations, Uehara.”

“Suppose it’ll be Watanabe soon!” Ai jumped on the spot excitedly. “We’re going to be having a party after work with a few of Eiji-kun’s friends. If you see Matsumoto around, can you invite her on our behalf? You’re more than welcome too, Captain!”

Toshiro knew the invite was only out of politeness. Inviting your boss to a party and then having them actually turn up was an awkward one. Only Kyoraku - Soul Society’s resident party animal - ever got away with it.

“I hope you have fun. Just don’t let Matsumoto too drunk, she’s already suffering from last night.” Toshiro advised them before politely waving goodbye and continuing his path to his office.

Knowing Rangiku Matsumoto would never turn down a party invite, he made a mental note to tell her first thing when they met back up. He often wondered why Rangiku would never host a party for her birthday but after last night's revelations, it all made sense now. Maybe a party is just what she needed to help forget the pain of today.

* * *

A dull throb was pulsing throughout Toshiro’s entire body. For the past 6 hours now, Rangiku had been talking his ear off while dragging him around various boutiques and shops. With every new shop, Toshiro gained a new bag to carry around.

The pair had not long finished dinner, opting for a small Korean restaurant in Karakura town. Walking along the river to work off their food, they continued chatting and gossiping. Toshiro couldn’t help but divert the conversation to work sometimes, to which Rangiku scolded him for being such a workaholic.

Their chatting was soon interrupted by a series of small beeps. Toshiro felt his Soul Pager vibrate in his pocket. One of his seated officers was calling him. Rangiku flashed him a concerned look. If someone from back home was calling the captain on his afternoon off, it must be serious.

Without any delay, Toshiro pressed a few buttons then held the phone up to his ear closely. “Hello?” He listened as the woman on the other end of the phone was frantically trying to compose a sentence. “Takasaki calm down. What happened?”

Rangiku watched nervously as her captain received the report. He listened as Ai, the same officer he had bumped into earlier on, explained it would be best for him to come back and see the issue in person. The 15th seat reported someone had trashed the very courtyard they were standing in just this morning.

What?! How?! Toshiro shot Rangiku a serious look and the woman immediately started gathering her bags. He silently praised the lieutenant for her fast response as she was already in the process of opening the gate back home. The pair started running through the Senkaimon as Toshiro continued to listen to the report.

“Okay, we’ll be right there.” Toshiro promptly hung up the phone and sped up his pace. Knowing his lieutenant would be curious about the phone call, Toshiro relayed the information to her. “Takasaki has reported the courtyard has been trashed. No casualties. No one saw the intruder. We’re going to investigate”

“Yes, sir.” Rangiku nodded, keeping up with him despite the heavy bags weighing her down.

When the duo arrived back, they hurried along the rooftops until they arrived back in their home ground. Quickly passing Toshiro’s living quarters since they were close by, he let Rangiku quickly throw her bags in and then continued.

Arriving at the doors leading to the courtyard, they were met with Ai, Setsuna and other seated officers. After a quick bow to their superiors, Ai started a report of the updates. “We’ve got officers patrolling the nearby areas for any leads who could be behind it.”

“Good work.” Toshiro praised her, “Is the damage bad?”

Ai nodded in response. “Quite. The only thing not damaged was the gate. We closed them once we discovered the mess.”

Toshiro walked up to the large doors, ushering Rangiku to follow him. It stood many feet taller than him and took a fair bit of strength to open. Stepping through, he heard Rangiku gasp from behind him.

“Surprise!”

Cannons exploded with colourful strings of confetti as the crowd roared and cheered. Cups were raised by many as others continued to dance to the band, which Shuhei was playing guitar for.

Toshiro could feel his smirk growing as he refused to glance back at his lieutenant, who was clearly in shock. “This place is a mess, wonder how we’re going to clean this up.”

A swift slap on the arm was the response to his sarcasm. “Captain… what is this?”

Looking around, there was actually a lot more to take in than he expected. There was an abundance of presents lying around familiar faces, most notably Rangiku’s close friends and drinking buddies. Most lieutenants and captains were present with the exception of 12th (probably busy doing experiments anyway) and the 4th (the medical division were always too busy to drop work so suddenly.) Toshiro was surprised albeit a tad concerned when he clocked the 11th in the corner already getting quite rowdy. Maybe he did have to worry about the structure of his division's courtyard after all.

Turning to face her as the crowd fell silent to watch them, Toshiro crossed his arms in his sleeves. “Happy birthday, Matsumoto.” He smiled gently at her.

His world turned black as Rangiku promptly brought him into a hug, smothering him into her chest. He didn’t want to appear too touchy feely in front of all these other important figures, so he simply kept his stance, though secretly smiled into the embrace. An echo of aww’s and clapping could be heard as Rangiku pulled back to make eye contact. Taking a moment to focus on her spiritual energy, it felt content and relaxed for the first time in a long while.

Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Ise of the 8th approached them with cups full of sake. Handing them each a cup, Kyoraku turned back around to the crowd and raised a voice. “Well, now the birthday gal’ is here, how about we get the party started.” He raised his cup in cheers towards the 10th Division leaders and everyone copied his actions.

Toshiro let Kyoraku lead her on towards the party as he had another smaller mission of his own to complete. He turned around to walk back up to Ai and Setsuna, who were standing grinning widely at him. He deeply thanked the girls and even asked them to introduce him to Eiji Watanabe, Setsuna's future husband. They drank together as they shared stories about each other's days.

After Ai and Setsuna’s party invite earlier on, the idea to throw Rangiku a party sprung into his head. Toshiro had never organised a party before though and had already agreed to spend the day with her in the human world, so he approached the two seated officers again and explained his situation. Setsuna was more than happy to combine her engagement party with a birthday party for their beloved lieutenant. ‘The more the merrier’ she had said, offering to organise it while Toshiro kept Rangiku distracted.

The two women plus those from the 13th already planning the smaller party had banned together to organise the most extravagant party Soul Society has seen in a long while. Word got around pretty quickly apparently people began to arrive hours before the party was even due to start to help set up… and to start drinking early.

Toshiro’s eyes couldn’t help but glance towards his lieutenant multiple times in the night as he made his way around the crowd, thanking them all for attending. Rangiku was doing a different activity each time: playing drinking games with Kyoraku and Renji, playing guitar with Shuhei who was uncomfortably close to her for Toshiro’s liking, eating a handful of sweets with Yachiru and could even hear her squeal as she eventually met with Setsuna and was told the good news.

The combination of yesterday's emotionally exhausting events, the small hangover that still loomed over him, the fatigue from the shopping trip and all the social interactions tonight hit him at once as he found himself mentally exhausted. He excused himself from his small chat with the Kuchiki siblings to go find a quiet area. Not far from the courtyard was a small hill with flower patches and a large tree atop. Toshiro snuck away from the party, not before one last glance at Rangiku. She was currently engaged in an arm-wrestling match with Izuru which was very quickly lost by the latter. Izuru’s head hung low as Rangiku proudly downed the rest of her drink in celebration, throwing her hands up afterwards.

The young captain felt relief instantly wash over him as he made his way further from the crowd. Toshiro was definitely an introvert, preferring to spend his night by himself or a small group doing a calming activity. This drinking and partying lifestyle certainly wasn’t for him. He could feel a slight buzz of alcohol in his system again, not enough to numb his anxieties this time though.

Approaching the bottom of the hill, Toshiro noticed a ghostly white figure sitting at the base of the large tree. This meant he wasn’t quite alone, but the calming fatherly aura of the older captain wasn’t unwelcome.

“You look tired, Shiro-chan.” Ukitake greeted as Toshiro sat himself down next to his fellow white-haired friend, back resting against the hardwood of the tree.

“I feel it.” Toshiro admitted. “It’s been an… interesting couple of days.”

Ukitake let out a hearty chuckle. “I guess crowds aren’t our thing. I, too, can feel quite exhausted when I'm around too many people.”

The two captains sat together as they watched the night sky. A few clouds passed overhead as a small breeze flew through the Soul Society. Toshiro found himself almost drifting off when the older man spoke up suddenly.

“You should tell her.” Ukitake turned towards him with a gentle smile.

Toshiro didn’t have the energy to open his eyes again. Hell, he barely had the energy to speak but he somehow mustered the strength. “Tell who what?”

“Rangiku-san. I think just about everyone has noticed the way you’ve been glancing her way tonight.” Ukitake explained. “It’s quite obvious you care deeply for her.”

Trying his best to keep his spiritual pressure in check, Toshiro thought hard about his words. Of course he cared deeply for Rangiku. She was everything to him. The literal ray of sun in his otherwise bland life. “She…” Toshiro struggled for words at first. After all, he hadn’t even admitted his feelings for his lieutenant to himself. “She deserves happiness. She deserves someone that will care for her. I had to sit there and watch her heart break so many times. Captain Shiba left, then Ichimaru.”

Toshiro sighed deeply. It felt good to finally let his feelings out and talk about them. These thoughts had been frying his brain for months now. He trusted Ukitake not to judge him too harshly.

“I made a promise to myself that I’ll be the one to prove her wrong. Not all the guys in her life will walk out on her. I’m not going to leave her; I owe her too much to let her go. Matsumoto has supported me ever since I was a little brat in Junrinan. I want to return the favour in any way I can, even if it is these tiring parties and shopping trips. Even if she never knows my true feelings towards her, if I can continue to make her smile then I’m doing my job as her captain… and her friend.”

Ukitake pondered his words a moment before responding. “I think she already knows your true feelings.”

“What makes you say that?” Toshiro questioned. Despite still having his eyes closed, he could practically feel Ukitake’s smile.

“You just admitted them to me, Toshiro.” Rangiku chirped in.

Toshiro’s eyes flew open to see Rangiku and Ukitake eyeing him up with the most satisfied smirks he’s ever seen. He couldn’t hide the furious blush on his face now as his eyes darted back and forward between them, unable to keep eye contact with them for more than a couple of seconds at a time.

Ukitake willed himself up and straightened out his uniform. “I think that's my cue to leave. Happy birthday, Rangiku-san. I hope you had a good day.”

With that, Ukitake flash stepped away which left the 10th Division heads alone. Rangiku stood there smug, hands on hip and chin up.

“So, we talking about this or not?” As Rangiku emphasised the word, she gestured to herself and her captain, who still remained seated leaning on the tree.

Oh god. Toshiro began to silently panic. Hyorinmaru laughed at the back of his head. His zanpakuto clearly wasn’t helping here, leaving his master to fend for himself. Toshiro refused to break eye contact with her but gods it was difficult due to his embarrassment. He hadn’t even felt or heard her come up the hill. Was she concealing her spiritual pressure? Or was he simply that tired?

After what felt an eternity, the prodigy cleared his throat and attempted to speak but no words came out. All he could muster was her name. “Matsumoto…. I....”

As if the world somehow understood his struggles at that exact moment, a loud bang from above interrupted them. The pair looked to the sky to see some fireworks light up the sky. Small rockets launched upwards before shattering and decorating the sky. There were all sorts of different designs: sparkly ones, colourful ones and even some in different shapes like a star or flower.

Losing his self-control yet again, Toshiro’s eyes fell upon Rangiku as she watched the fireworks. Her skin glowed at each bang. The light reflected in her eyes and made them twinkle.

She really was something special.

Rangiku turned back around to him and presented him with a much more innocent smile. “We don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready to. For now, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

She made her way over to her captain and knelt in front of him. Tentatively, Rangiku brought a hand up to cup the side of his face. Toshiro didn’t flinch away, instead opting to lean into her touch, demanding more of her warmth. Letting his emotions take complete control he brought his hand up to place it on top of hers and gave her a gentle smile back. Eyes betrayed him as tiredness hit yet once more. This woman just comforted him so much. It was too hard to resist.

He felt another warmth on his skin, this time just above his eyes. Rangiku leaned into him as their foreheads touched. He could feel her breath on his skin, their lips mere inches part. Shivers were sent down his body as he breathed in that sweet daffodil scent again.

Finding what little courage he had he spoke to her softly, practically a whisper. “Hey, Rangiku?”

“Yeah?” Rangiku replied as he willed his eyes back open. Teals orbs met with blue as lights continued to dance around them.

“Happy birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> huehuehue
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this little fic! I had so much fun writing it. I just love writing Toshiro. My little anxious bean <3
> 
> I'm reeeeeally rusty with writing so I'd love and appreciate any kind words or feedback! <3


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